Germany: SMM 2012 Attracts All Major Shipbuilding Nations

In advance of SMM 2012, the leading trade fair for the maritime industries, to be held at the Hamburg Fair site from 4 to 7 September, the duel in international shipbuilding is going into the next round – the Chinese shipyards were just ahead again in 2011. According to the latest survey by Clarkson Research, China delivered a total of 1,177 ships with 67.2 million DWT. The closest competitor was South Korea, with 531 ships and 53.6 DWT, followed by Japan in third position (462 ships, 32 million DWT).

The three major shipbuilding nations from Asia are prominent exhibitors at SMM 2012, shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair hamburg, from 4 to 7 September. “The growing attendance of Asian exhibitors demonstrates the dynamic in this part of the world and is a clear indicator of the importance of SMM as the world’s leading maritime trade fair,” says Peter Bergleiter, Head of Division at Hamburg Messe & Congress GmbH (HMC). Alongside numerous companies from China, the two most important shipyards CSIC and CSSC will also be there. Other exhibitors include the Korean shipbuilders’ association KOSHIPA, some important Japanese shipyards, and also the Japanese Marine Equipment Suppliers Association JSMEA.

Size trend

China has held top position in shipbuilding since 2010, but another change in the market conditions emerged at the beginning of 2012 – China delivered 105 ships, that is more than twice as many as South Korea (50 ships) and also more tonnage, at 8.4 million DWT (versus 5 million DWT for South Korea). But China lagged behind in terms of new orders – according to Clarkson’s figures in January 2012, each of the countries received orders for nine newbuildings, but the tonnage for South Korea was more than six times as high as for China (1.7 million DWT versus 260,000 DWT). That continued the development which China’s transport minister Li Shenglin had already forecast last year – “The market was flooded with ships which were financed by national banks. And the buyers are now interested in the larger vessels from the Korean companies; that is a headache for China’s shipyards.”

China is still in front in terms of the order book – on reference date 1 February, China had 2,386 ships in the order book, with 149,1 million DWT, which was still well ahead of South Korea (1,103 ships, 106.6 million DWT) and Japan (684 ships, 52.7 million DWT). The current global order book stands at 5,623 ships, that is 2,253 fewer than at the end of 2010. Last year a total of 2,599 ships were delivered, and new orders were received for 1,253 ships – 365 of these were bulkers and 226 container ships. Deliveries in 2011 were also dominated by bulkers at 1,173 ships, followed by tankers (362) and container ships (190).

Attractive future markets

The SMM Offshore Dialogue has also established itself in the calendar of SMM events, and will be held for the second time this year. It brings together the industry experts for discussion of offshore oil and gas production, and offshore wind energy. The offshore segment is one of the most promising future markets for technologically leading shipbuilding companies and equipment suppliers. That is evident from a closer look at the global order book – according to Clarkson, offshore vessels made up the largest contingent of ships ordered, with 846 units – in January 2012 alone, orders were taken for eight new vessels.

SMM, shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair hamburg is the leading event for the international maritime industry, and will be held for the 25th time this year. It is the ideal platform to present products, see innovations, meet new customers, cultivate relationships, and close deals. SMM 2012 will be held on 90,000 sqm of hall space, with more than 2,000 exhibitors from over 60 countries expected.

GMEC, global maritime environmental congress, is a premium event at SMM, and this year it will be an integrated component in the SMM supporting programme for the second time. The SMM Ship Finance Forum will be held for the fourth time, on the day before the start of SMM, hosted jointly by HMC and Financial Times Deutschland. Another key area of SMM 2012 will be maritime security and defence.

“The MS&D conference will take place in parallel, thus opening up an attractive and increasingly important area for SMM,” says Peter Bergleiter. MS&D, international conference on maritime security and defence hamburg, is hosted by HMC with the partners DVV Media / Griephan and the German Maritime Institute (DMI). The 50,000 or more trade visitors from all parts of the world can also expect an extensive supporting programme with more than 150 programme items.